348 coupe or nsx

You may have to fix more with the 348. Probably, but not definitely. Although it is a safe bet. But it all comes down to the issue of how much more will you truly enjoy the 348 over the NSX. Probably a lot.

Driving the NSX is like driving an Accord, IMO. The NSX really does FEEL almost like that. They way it shifts, the way it sounds. All of the above. The 348 is definitely more raw.

In a catastrophic event however (i.e. timing belt snaps) the motor will cost you a good 20K for both. So, although the 348 will eat at you more and more little by little, you could get stung for both just as hard.

Up to you, but you won't sit and stare at your NSX in the garage for a few minutes every night the first month of ownership.

 

Certainly a 348 won't need to be fixed every weekend -- but if you're even contemplating this type of decision, the NSX might be better for you. A 348 is not comfortable, not easy to drive at low speeds (parking lots), attracts more (unwelcome) attention, etc. The 348 is the "better" car, but not more practical.



Just my 2 crush washers....

 

I agree with Daniel, the NSX will be easier to deal with on a daily basis. I personally think the 348 is a better exotic, and it will attract far more attention (wanted & unwanted). The NSX will not offer the same driving experience as the 348, but I think the NSX is still a nice car in its own right.

I will tell you though, any time I leave the Ferrari in a parking lot to run in the store - the entire time in the store I'm in a panic thinking about the car. One time I came out of the store to find a girl leaning on the hood of my car with her boyfriend taking a picture. Not cool.

I would say drive both, as much as you can, then decide.

Good luck!

 

If the looks of the earlier NSX were as appealing to me as the 348, I would have gone that route. I have seen a few new NSX that are really striking, but they are much more expensive than the 348. If I was considering one for a daily driver, for work etc... I would chose the NSX. Performance is almost identical, reliability is far greater, reapirs and maintenance are much cheaper, and to most people they are both exotic. For a weekend fun car, the 348 is the way to go. It will probably cost you around $3-5k per year in maintenance and repairs, but you will be smiling the entire time you drive it.
BT

 

Why would you come to a Ferrari site and ask this question?

Did you think we wouldn't be just a little partial?

Of course the Ferrari is a better car. Now and forever.

But if you want dependability, get a Toyota or something.

LOL

 

if you have to ask this question....buy the NSX...

 

What do you mean by you need more?
More in what way?

I think you have a car you can drive without worry now, the Boxster.

 

My Dad has been an owner of 3 (count 'em, three) different Acuras NSX: '96, '97, and '02.

Each one was different; The 2002 was supposed to be the best.

After having driven each of those extensively, and being a current 348 owner, I can say that you MUST buy the 348. I hate to say it, but the NSX is the poor man's Ferrari. Sorry NSXers...

When you drive the NSX, you don't feel like you're driving an exotic. The engine sound, while impressive for a Japanese car, is certainly not Italian. The sound is not exotic. And forget about any kind of exhaust ntoe.

The NSX is sort of a copy of the 348. Just look at the rear taillights of the NSX -- they are almost identical to those on the 348!

The NSX has no power. Yes, the engine revs to 8,000, but there is no low-end torque. You really have to rev the thing to get any power, whereas the 348 has a wonderful torque band. The shifter on the NSX is great, but the clutch stinks. It's probably the worst clutch I've ever used besides American clutches. The shifting action is thus nowhere near as precise or fun as that on the 348.

I've put 11,000 miles on my 348 in 19 months and I've had no headaches. The car will cost you in maintenance, but if you buy a good one you won't suffer. And besides, it's worth it. I drive my car every chance I get and I've never seen a "Slow-Down" light. I haven't seen "Check-Engine" lights for many months (not that we care about those).

I could go on and on... get the 348. For God's sake, it's a Ferrari.

 

Here are the performance numbers as an example.



1994 NSX 0-60 5.3 1/4 mile 13.6
2001 NSX 0-60 4.5 1/4 mile 12.9

1990 348 0-60 6.0 1/4 mile 14.3
1993 348 0-60 5.6 1/4 mile 14.1

 

348 hands down. Get a spider if the budget allows for sure. Outside of basic maint my 348 has cost me just $115.00 to replace a bad oil pressure sending unit. Just like a women if you pick a bad one, well life will suck and it will suck your wallet of its cash. Pick a good one and life will be great and never the same. Perfomance wise I do not believe an NSX can hang with a 348, no, no no!!!!
Ferrari all the way

 

As with anything else, performance numbers can be inaccurate. We all know that statistics of any kind are subject to biases.

To me, those statistics mean nothing. That NSX is not a sub-13 second 1/4-mile car; and if it is, the 348 is faster. I have driven the NSX as a daily driver and it is not as fast as the 348.

Most of the publicized 348 performance numbers are nonsense -- especially the 0-60 number published at 5.6 seconds. My brother has a 2004 Porsche 911 and my 348 is faster all the way.

Anyhow, the 348 is not the fastest car on the block. If you want raw speed, get the new Corvette. My Dad and brother each have one. What a piece of junk!

The 348 is just a pleasure to drive. It feels fast enough, it sounds fast enough, and it is absolutely an exotic.

 

There's no question that for the money the NSX is a fantastic car/value.
But the one common comment made in every comparison written on the 348 vs NSX.......it's not a Ferrari! And that says it all.

 

The numbers on the "piece of junk" as you put it...
2006 Corvette Z06 0-60 3.5 1/4 mile 11.5

As a comparison...
1997 Boxster 0-60 6.0 1/4 mile 14.5
2001 Boxster S 0-60 5.6 1/4 mile 14.0

 

couldn't have said it better!

 

Well put.

The NSX is a nice reliable car,but it's a Honda

The 348 is Ferrari,enough said.

 

again, well said.

 

I mean, the 348 is a little bit of a challenge to drive. The NSX is not. If the lack of power steering and stiff shifting action bother you, then don't buy the 348.

My Dad and brother HATE my 348 because they say it's a pain in the neck to drive. I HATE their cars because they present no challenge.

If you're exhausted, you won't want to just get in the 348 and go driving. The NSX or any other car with power steering would be much easier to drive.

"Driver's car?" I'd say the 348 is the true "Driver's car," but then again I have my bias. The 348 presents a challenge and gives me a sense of accomplishment and gratification, whereas something less sportive, such as the NSX, does not.

 

I'd have to say NSX. I had no problem with the clutch, no problem with the shifter, no problem with the handling, no problem with the exhaust note, and no problem with the manual steering. If I remember correctly when released the NSX embarrased the 348.

 

You remember correctly.

 

I should have considered the earlier NSXs with manual steering, but I just assumed that the original poster was looking for a new one or a newer one.

As for your comment about the introduction of the NSX, I have a few articles about the NSX versus the 348. Most commentators at the time were extremely dazzled by the low price of the NSX; therefore, the NSX came out as the choice car in many articles -- but not all the time. I have one article that chose the NSX as the winner after saying "The 348 is the better exotic, but the NSX is the better choice."

 

I've owned an NSX (and a Mondial 3.2 and now a Mondial t), and while the NSX was 'cheaper' to maintain, that is relative. I had a 30k done on an NSX and it was $2500 (back in 1998), compared to $3300 for my Mondial. Not exactly Honda-cheap.

I also broke the cheap-ass plastic door handle, the part alone was $458.

Don't assume an NSX is cheap to maintain. More 'reliable', yes. Cheaper? I don't think so.

 

You have not mentioned the time frame you intend on keeping either car. At the present moment both the 348 and NSX probably have more depreciation to give before they hit rock bottom. After each vehicle settles into its lowest price point ever, which is more likely to increase at a greater percentage and at what speed. I suspect a 40 year old NSX will be an old Honda someday and a 40 year old 348 will be a vintage Ferrari.

In the end a Ferrari enters you into a elite group, whether that is a consideration you have to decide.

For the NSX to become vastly valuable in the future Honda would have to continue to produce semi-exotics for a long time to develop a breed standard. Is that going to happen, or are the Japanese automakers going to stick to their bread and butter markets of reliable/cheap cars and BMW competition luxury sedans? Japanese manufacturers have made little in roads into the V8 1/2 ton plus pick-up market, somewhere vastly more volume potential exists. I suspect far more duellies sell each year than Japanese exotics. So I give all of the long term upside to the Ferrari.

 

The nsx may or may not be a better car but it has no soul. They lack something I can't quite put my finger on. A Ferrari is what it is, it needs no explanation and the honda just can't come close. You guys that are Ferrari owners know what I mean, maybe you can explain it better. Even the name lacks feeling, what the hell is "nsx". Anyway just MHO. Regards, Vern